Bah Humbug?

“Did you have a pleasant Thanksgiving, sir?” I asked The Effective Detective.

“Quite. Thank you for asking Watson. Actually, your query brings to mind an interesting idea,” The Detective answered.

“Indeed. And what would that be sir?” I couldn’t help myself. I knew he would continue anyway, but with a hefty dose of sarcasm. Better to just encourage him to continue.

“Your feigned interest distresses me Watson. Only mildly, of course,” The Detective shot back, doling out the sarcasm anyway, and then continuing. “Nonetheless, the idea is still one that is worth discussing. One of the more enduring… shall we say, myths, is that if you sell to other businesses versus consumers, doing business during the end of the year holidays is a waste of time. After all, everyone will be so busy with shopping and parties that they won’t give you the time of day.”

“I take it you are not of that opinion, sir?” I asked.

“Brilliant observation, Watson,” came back another dose of sarcasm from The Detective. “Our own experience disproves this supposed truism. For as long as I can remember, the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas has been one of our busiest times. This year, the response to our marketing for our Telesummit has exceeded our expectations.

“The simple fact is that in today’s world, the traditional Christmas season – Thanksgiving to Christmas – actually to New Years, does not have quite the business deadening effect it once did,” The Detective took his characteristic pause, and waited for me to interject something.

“Why would you suppose the situation has changed?” I obligingly threw out a question.

“Perhaps it is the rise of online shopping, which frees people from frantically pursuing gifts all over town, giving them more time to devote to business. Perhaps it is the simple fact that everyone seems to have to work that much harder to keep ahead of the curve, why else would more and more stores be open on Thanksgiving – a lamentable trend I must say. Work increases but there are no more hours added to the day, no more days added to the year. Does it matter though Watson?

“The point is that there is far more opportunity to do business during the end of the year holiday season. You can choose not to pursue that potential business, but please don’t tell me there is no business to be had,” The Detective finished.

“Sir, you sound like a regular Scrooge,” I teased.

“Bah Humbug, Watson,” The Detective answered, but with a smile.